Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D13/00—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches
  • A41D13/05—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches protecting only a particular body part
  • A41D13/055—Protector fastening, e.g. on the human body
  • A41D13/0556—Protector fastening, e.g. on the human body with releasable fastening means
  • A41D13/0575—Protector fastening, e.g. on the human body with releasable fastening means in an openable pocket
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D13/00—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches
  • A41D13/015—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches with shock-absorbing means
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D13/00—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches
  • A41D13/05—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches protecting only a particular body part
  • A41D13/0506—Hip
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D13/00—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches
  • A41D13/12—Surgeons' or patients' gowns or dresses
  • A41D13/1236—Patients' garments
  • A41D13/1254—Patients' garments for the lower part of the body
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D13/00—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches
  • A41D13/05—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches protecting only a particular body part
  • A41D13/055—Protector fastening, e.g. on the human body
  • A41D13/0556—Protector fastening, e.g. on the human body with releasable fastening means
  • A41D13/0562—Protector fastening, e.g. on the human body with releasable fastening means with hook and loop fastener
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F5/00—Orthopaedic methods or devices for non-surgical treatment of bones or joints; Nursing devices; Anti-rape devices
  • A61F5/01—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces
  • A61F5/0102—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations
  • A61F2005/0181—Protectors for articulations
  • A61F2005/0183—Hip protectors, e.g. for elderly people

Definitions

• the present invention pertains to a protective garment for the hip area, and more particularly, to an impact force-dissipating garment which may be worn comfortably and prevents hip injury upon falling of the user.
• intertrochanteric fracture Most cases of intertrochanteric fracture involve a fall and impact to the lateral thigh and trochanteric region of the femur. Falling is common after age 70 due to neuromuscular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cardiac disease with syncopal episodes or attacks of dizziness. Furthermore, disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, and stroke are associated with high annual incidence of hip fracture.
• the trochanteric region of the femur in elderly patients protrudes above surrounding atrophic gluteal and thigh muscles.
• This protuberant trochanteric region is a vulnerable impact site when a potential fracture victim falls on his or her side. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a protective device which can be worn comfortably by elderly persons and which will significantly reduce the impact force to the trochanteric region of the wearer during a fall to significantly decrease the likelihood of serious hip or femur injury upon a fall from a standing position.
• the posterior placement of the lateral pockets in this design is such that a fall with the leg internally rotated will allow the direct impact of the trochanteric region of the femur with the ground surface. That is, the trochanteric region of the femur is displaced 1 to VA inches anteriorly when the thigh is internally rotated, resulting in uncovering of the trochanteric region and allowing for direct, inelastic impact of the trochanteric region with the ground during a fall.
• a hip protection device which will provide protection to the trochanteric region regardless of the rotational position of the legs at time of impact.
• Another design consists of a wrap-around padded garment that is worn over underwear and under outer clothing.
• Soft foam pads are provided in the hip area which do not include a hard shield associated with the foam pads.
• This device is not designed to protect against severe osteoporosis.
• Other designs having foam in the hip area have been developed, but none of these designs provide absorption of greater than 27 to 60% of the fall related impact force using the load cell accelerometer test method nor significant distribution of the localized impact force over a broader area, without adhering the hip pads directly to skin.
• any of the prior designs sufficiently comfortable and aesthetically pleasing to worn everyday on a regular, long term basis.
• a hip protection device which substantially reduces the impact force to the trochanteric region of a wearer upon a fall from a standing position; yet, the device is light enough to be worn comfortably and thin enough to be aesthetically acceptable and to be worn without the necessity of larger sized clothing or wardrobe alteration.
• the hip protection device constructed in accordance with the invention also provides a buttress effect to provide protection beyond the periphery of the device, so as to protect the trochanteric region of the wearer 5 regardless of the rotational position of the leg of the wearer during a fall.
• the hip protection device of the present invention includes a force distributing shield to substantially reduce localized impact forces imparted to the body of the wearer.
• An undergarment which may have elastic pockets on either the internal surface or the external surface of the garment for receiving pads which can be positioned over the trochanteric region of the femur.
• the pockets may be made of slightly smaller dimensions
• the pads may define an open-ended channel having a generally elongated major axis, along which the pads are essentially linear, and a generally parabolic curve
• the pads have a rigid outer shield formed of thin layer of a rigid, shatterproof, material such as a suitable plastic, and one or more layers of shock absorbing
• the pads are tapered along the outer edges to improve the aesthetic
• an opening is provided in the perineal portion of the undergarment.
• the perineal opening is kept closed by a suitable fastener which allows easy and rapid opening of the perineal opening to allow the wearer to insert and remove loincloth type diapers or other moisture absorbing materials through the opening without the requirement of removing the garment.
• Narrow complementary interengageable synthetic hook and loop strips which adhere when pressed together such as those sold under the tradename Velcro, and herein- after referred to as Velcro, are sewn onto the inner portion of the waistband of the undergarment in the front and rear, and positioned on the inner surface of the waist band.
• a narrow diaper strip consisting of several layers of fluid absorbing material, is detachably engageable with the undergarment.
• Narrow strips of Velcro are sewn to the outer surface of the diaper near the front and rear edges thereof. The narrow Velcro strips on the ends of the diaper engage with respective narrow Velcro strips on the front and rear of the undergarment.
• the diaper may be suspended within the undergarment in a manner whereby it is easily attachable and detachable from the undergarment.
• a foam ring is sewn between the diaper layers to relieve pressure on the skin over the sacrum.
• the undergarment may be provided with pockets located in the hip area which receive hip protecting pads therein, as discussed above.
• the device in which the protective pads were constructed having an overall thickness of less than 0.015 meters and weighing less than 5 ounces, the device could be concealed under ordinary clothing and worn for over 15 hours per day without discomfort or other adverse effects.
• FIG. 1 is a front view of an undergarment embodying various features of the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is a rear view of the undergarment of FIG. 1 with hip pads inserted in the pockets of the garment.
• FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the right side of the hip protection garment shown in FIG. 1.
• FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the left side of the hip protection garment shown in FIG. 1.
• FIG. 5 is a plan view of a protective pad embodying various features of the present invention.
• FIG. 6 is another embodiment of a protective pad.
• FIG. 7 is another embodiment of a protective pad.
• FIG. 8 is a cross section taken through line 8-8 of FIG. 5.
• FIG 9 is a cross section taken through line 9-9 of FIG. 6.
• FIG. 10 is a cross section taken through line 10-10 of FIG. 7.
• FIG. 11 is a cross section through line 11-11 of FIG. 5.
• FIG. 12 is a front view of another embodiment of the hip protection device incorporating various features of the present invention, and showing a diaper fastened to an undergarment.
• FIG. 13 is a front view of the embodiment of the hip protection device of FIG. 12, showing the perineal flap.
• FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the inner side of the diaper of FIG. 12.
• FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the outer side of the diaper of FIG. 14.
• FIG. 15a is an elevational view of one embodiment of the diaper wherein the center portion is wider than the ends .
• FIG. 16 is an arrangement for attaching protective pads to undershorts.
• FIG. 17 is a side view of the first alternative embodiment of FIG. 16 showing the pad attached to the undershorts .
• FIG. 18 is another arrangement for attaching protective pads to undershorts.
• FIG. 19 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 18 showing the pad attached to the undershorts .
• FIG. 20 is still another arrangement for attaching protective pads to undershorts.
• FIG. 21 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 20 showing the pad attached to the undershorts.
• FIG. 22 is a front perspective view of the undergarment of FIGs. 20 and 21 showing a pair of pads attached to the undershorts.
• FIG. 23 is a sectional view taken along line 23-23 of FIG. 2, and is representative of the snug fit of the pads directly adjacent the hip region of the wearer.
• FIGs. 24a, 24b, and 24c are views of a tapered protective pad embodying various features of the present invention.
• FIG. 24a is a plan view showing the surface worn away from the wearer's body.
• FIG. 24b is a plan view showing the surface adjacent to the wearer's body.
• FIG. 24c is a cross-sectional view along line a-a' in FIGs. 24a and 24b.
• FIGs. 25a, 25b, and 25c illustrates undershorts having interior pockets for accepting the protective pads.
• FIG. 25a shows the outside of one leg of the undershorts;
• FIG. 25b shows the inside of the same leg of the undershorts;
• FIG 25c is a cross -sectional view (including a portion of the leg of a wearer) along line a-a' in FIG. 25b.
• FIGs. 1-11 A preferred embodiment of a hip protection device is illustrated in FIGs. 1-11 and referred to generally by reference numeral 20.
• An undergarment in the form of undershorts 22 is provided having pockets 24 affixed to the lateral sides of the undershorts 22 for receiving respective protective pads referred to generally at 26.
• the undershorts 22 are made of a blend of approximately 92% cotton and 8% Lycra. The inherent elasticity of this material facilitates maintaining of the undershorts 22 in a stationary position so as to maintain the pockets 24, and the protective pads 26 inserted therein, in a desired protective position.
• the undershorts 22 include an elastic waist band 28 of approximately 1.5 inch width at the upper end thereof as with conventional undergarments, with the top of the elastic waist band 28 positioned at the iliac crest of the wearer to support the undershorts 22.
• the lower end of the undershorts terminates in proximity with the thighs of the wearer.
• Further support to the undershorts 22 is provided by the propensity of the leg components 30 of the undershorts 22 to cling to the cylindrical surface of the upper thighs of the wearer due to the elasticity of the undershorts. Still further support is provided by elastic thread 31 sewn around the lower end of each of the leg components 30.
• the pockets 24 are affixed to the undershorts 22 in an area corresponding to the trochanteric region of the femur when the undershorts are pulled completely onto the wearer.
• three pad sizes having approximately the same degree of curvature for insertion into undershorts having pockets to accommodate persons of different body sizes (see FIGs. 5-7) . This leads to minimal cephalo- caudad wobble of the pad over the tro- chanter.
• the pockets 24 are about 3 inches wide for the first small size, 4 inches wide for the second medium size and about 5 inches for the third large size.
• the pad is 7 inches long in the vertical direction with the pockets positioned so that the top of the pocket is l inch below the lower edge of the elastic waist band 28 and begins l inch posterior to the anterior margin of the lateral thigh and/or a vertical line projected downward from the anterior superior iliac spine.
• the pockets 24 have slightly smaller dimensions than the corresponding protective pads 26 that they are designed to receive.
• the pockets 24 are also formed of the aforementioned cotton/Lycra blend or other suitable material which allows for stretching of the pockets to accommodate a protective pad 26 of slightly larger dimensions ensuring that the pad is held snugly in the proper alignment to protect trochanteric region of the wearer. That is, the opening at the upper end of the pockets 24 stretches to allow insertion of the protective pad 26 therein and then contracts, serving as a barrier to removal of the protective pad and to hold it in the proper position despite movements of the wearer.
• the positioning of the pockets 24 relative to the elastic waist band 28 is very significant.
• the height at which various individuals wear undershorts varies, with some individuals wearing the top of the waist band 28 one (1) inch above the iliac crest; others wearing the waist band at the iliac crest; and others position the waist band 1 inch below the iliac crest. Almost all adults have a superior trochanteric region located 3 to 4.5 inches below the iliac crest.
• the protective pad 26 when placed in the pocket, will cover and protect the trochanteric area regardless of which of these heights the elastic waist band is positioned on the wearer.
• the upper margin of the protective pad 26 when the top of the waist band 28 is worn 1 inch above the iliac crest, the upper margin of the protective pad 26 will be positioned 1.8 to 3 inches above the superior trochanteric region, and when the top of the waist band 28 is worn at the iliac crest, r. the upper margin of the protective pad 26 will be positioned 0.5 to 2 inches above the superior trochanteric region. At either of these positions the superior trochanteric region is covered. When the top of the waist band 28 is worn 1 inch below the iliac crest, the upper margin of the protective pad 26 will be located 0.5 inches below to 1 inch above the superior trochanteric region.
• the 0.5 inch of uncovering of the superior trochanteric region in this last example is compensated for by the buttress effect of the protective pad 26 which prevents direct impact of this region for 1.5 to 2 inches about the peripheral margin of the protective pad 26.
• the pockets 24 are sewn on the undershorts 22 with reinforced stitching to ensure that the pocket does not open or tear after a long period of carrying the device or after numerous washings.
• the protective pad 26, various embodiments of which are illustrated in FIGs. 5 to 11, consists of a light, hard, shatterproof shield layer 32 such as hard plastic, metal or other suitable material, having a backing of resilient shock absorbing material 34 which may be a foam rubber product or the like.
• the plastic shield 32 is formed of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) (Uniroyal Plastics, Mishawaka, Indiana) polymer which has been vacuum-molded into a generally shallow parabolic surface that approximates, rather than duplicates, the exact anteroposterior contour of the hip region of the wearer.
• ABS acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene
• the curvature is important in that the force per square inch imparted to the body upon impact is determined in part by the surface area of the protective shield 32. Hence, there is no super- inferior curvature to the protective pad 26, that is, no curvature along the major axis of the pad, since the human thigh is substantially flat in the vertical direction (see FIG. 11) .
• the shield is approximately 0.10 to 0.125 inch thick and a layer of relatively dense polyurethane foam 36 having a thickness of approximately 0.375 to 0.4 inch is affixed with a suitable Uniroyal adhesive such as Uniroyal Adhesive M65-87 or M65-71 to the concave side of the plastic shield 32.
• a second layer of a relatively less dense, softer polyurethane foam 38 of approximately 0.10 to 0.125 inch thick is then adhesively affixed to the first layer 36 to form a protective pad 26 having an overall thickness of approximately 0.625 inch.
• the first layer of polyurethane foam 36 and the second layer of polyurethane foam 38 are coterminous with one another and coterminous with the shield 32.
• a 0.375 to 0.4 inch layer of Ensolite foam, type HHC, and a 0.10 to 0.125 inch layer of Ensolite, type ALC or AFC produced by Uniroyal Plastics, Mishawaka, Indiana, provided over 90% impact absorption during voluntary human falls from standing to a concrete surface.
• a single layer of resilient shock absorbing material (such as HHC) 34 having a thickness of about 0.5 inches may be adhesively affixed to the shield 32.
• a first layer of Poron 4701-12-20250-1604 and a second layer of Poron 4701-05-15250-1637 polyurethane foams produced by Rogers Corporation, East Woodstock, Connecticut, of equal thickness also provided good impact absorption.
• the thickness of the resilient shock absorbing layer may be increased beyond 0.5 inch thick.
• ABS shields 32 Based on contour mapping of the trochanteric region of the non- injured hips of actual persons who have suffered hip fractures from a fall, three different contours and sizes of ABS shields 32 with varying degrees of anteroposterior parabolic curvature have been found optimal to suffice for most hips of potential wearers.
• a first size of 5.5" x 7" (see FIGs. 5 and 8), a second size of 4.5" x 7" (see FIGs. 6 and 9), and a third size of 3.5" x 7" internal diameters (see FIGs.
• the 0.10 - 0.125 inch thickness of the plastic shield layer 32 of the protective pad 26 was arrived at by repeated testing of human volunteers falling from a standing position whereat the hips were positioned 0.3m, 0.6m and 0.91m above a concrete surface with a plastic shield 32 positioned on their hip to determine the minimum thickness attainable which can survive the aforementioned falling test and sufficiently distribute the impact force; and by extensive drop weight testing. Also, the 0.50 inch foam was also arrived at by such tests to determine the minimum thickness of polymeric foam which can absorb over 90% of the impact force. In both the human fall tests and the drop weight tests, the impact force imparted to the hip was measured using piezoelectric compression accelerometers positioned on the hip surface or on the drop weight.
• test volunteers wearing the hip pad of the present invention experienced broken bones, pain and tenderness, or other significant injuries when falling from a standing position onto a concrete surface.
• test volunteers falling onto unprotected hips from a height of 0.15m experienced significant pain and tenderness.
• test results show a mean reduction in the impact force imparted to the greater trochanter of greater than 90%, and show a significant delay in force transmission through the pad, with the time from impact to the force peak being extended 0.5-1 milliseconds to up to 17 milliseconds.
• the hip pads of the present invention are an effective means of preventing significant injury to the hips of persons falling from a standing position, with none of the test volunteers wearing protective padding experiencing broken bones or other significant injuries.
• test volunteers falling onto unprotected hips, without the use of the hip pads experience significant injuries.
• the overall thickness of the pads should be less than 0.75 inches and preferably less than 0.625 inches, while still providing sufficient impact protection.
• the hard outer shield distributes a given local impact force, e.g., 2 to 9 square inches, over a wider area, e.g., 28 to 37 square inches (the area of the shield) , thereby reducing the impact force per square inch imparted to the body of the wearer. Thereafter, the force is transmitted to the resilient material which is compressed upon impact and absorbs a substantial amount of the impact force. Transmission of the impact force through the shock absorbing resilient material is delayed for as long as 10 to 17 milliseconds, thereby lowering the impact force.
• a 0.125 inch shield of hard plastic backed by 0.5 inches of rubber foam was employed.
• the overall thinness of the pads allows for the creation of a comfortable garment that can be worn under the wearer's normal, unaltered clothing without creating unsightly bulges; and yet, the device was still capable of dissipating 90% to 95% of the impact force of a direct lateral fall on the trochanteric region of the wearer from a standing position to a concrete surface.
• the device of the present invention converted a 36 inch fall to a 3 inch fall, while still being aesthetically acceptable.
• a protective pad 26 is inserted into each of the respective pockets 24 with the shield side 32 of the protective pad 26 facing outward, and the concave side 40 of the protective pad facing inward, toward the hip of the wearer.
• the slightly larger dimensions of the protective pads 26 fit snugly within the slightly smaller dimensioned pockets 24, whereby the elastic pockets 24 prevent the protective pads from shifting positions, so that the protective pads 26 are maintained directly adjacent the aforementioned trochanteric region of the hip, without significant air gaps between the body of the wearer and the pad, despite repeated movement by the wearer. This makes the hip protection device of the present invention more aesthetically acceptable than hip protection devices of prior art.
• Acceptability is an important factor in getting compliance of users to wear the device as instructed, and, as such, users are more likely to be protected by the hip protection device of the present invention than prior art devices simply because the users will be more likely to be wearing the present device at the time of a fall.
• the configuration and construction of the pads 26 of the present invention allows the pads 26 to be securely supported either completely flush or substantially flush against the hips of the wearer, as shown in FIG. 23, to minimize outward bulging of the pads which is aesthetically unacceptable for many users. More particularly, the combination of the construction of the pads 26 and the construction of the undergarment 22 combine to provide hip protection without significant outward bulging at the hips of the wearer.
• FIG. 23 illustrates the snugness of the hip pads against the hips of the wearer which is attainable with the present invention.
• the undergarment comprises undershorts 122 having pockets 124 for pads 126, with the pockets 124 and pads 126 being the same as the pockets 24 and pads 26 of the preferred embodiment.
• the undershorts 122 are also generally the same as the undershorts 22 of the preferred embodiment, but have a pair of Velcro strips with loops 129 and 131 sewn, respectively, onto the front and rear inner surfaces of the waistband 133.
• a moisture absorbing diaper 135, shown in FIGs. 14 and 15, has Velcro strips with hooks 137 and 139 sewn, respectively, adjacent the front and rear ends 141 and 143 of the outer side 145 of the diaper 135.
• the front and rear Velcro strips 141 and 143 of the diaper 135 engage with respective front and rear Velcro strips 129 and 131 of the undershorts 122.
• the diaper 135 is suspended like a hammock from the front and rear Velcro strips 129 and 131 on the inner surface of the waistband 133 of the undershorts 122 and encloses the perineum and medial upper thigh on each side of the diaper 135.
• the Velcro strips 129 and 131 are positioned on the waistband 133 of the undershorts 122 so that half of the strips are positioned on either side of the sagittal midline of the waistband 133.
• the diaper 135 preferably comprises several layers of fluid absorbing cotton and/or flannel material .
• An annular sacral ring 147 may be sewn to the diaper 135 between the multiple layers thereof to relieve pressure on the skin over the sacrum.
• the sacrum ring 147 is preferably made of foam or the like and sewn 1 to 3 inches from the rear end 143 of the diaper 135. It was found that a ring 147 diameter of approximately 1.5 inches and a thickness of 0.3 inches provided good comfort .
• the moisture absorbing diaper is preferably narrower at its ends 141 and 143, and widens toward its center, as illustrated in FIG 15a. It was found that a 24" long diaper 135 having a width of approximately 6 inches at its ends and a width of approximately 8 inches at its center provided good results for a wide range of different body sizes.
• the undershorts 122 for use by incontinent persons, the undershorts 122 have a perineal opening 151 of approximately 4 or 5 inches extending along the midline seam of the undershorts 122. That is, the perineal portion of the undershorts 122 is opened over a length of about 4 or 5 inches and a 0.25 inch double thickness border is sewn around the edge of this opening for reinforcement.
• the perineal opening 151 is kept closed by a suitable fastener, such as a Velcro strip 153, which allows easy and rapid opening and closing of the perineal opening 151 to allow the wearer to insert and remove additional moisture absorbing materials, in addition to the diaper 135, through the opening 151 without the requirement of removing the garment .
• the undershorts 122a do not have pockets for receiving the pads 26a. Rather, two elongated strips of Velcro 161 extending vertically, and one strip of Velcro 163 extending horizontally, are bonded to the undershorts 122a, with the two vertical strips 161 extending on either side of the trochanteric hip region and the horizontal strip 163 extending below the trochanteric hip region.
• the pad 26a has complementary vertical strips 165 and horizontal strip 167 which engage with respective strips 161 and 163 when the pad 26a is pressed against the hip region of the undershorts 122a, to secure the pads 26a in place covering the trochanteric hip region of the wearer, as shown in FIG. 17.
• a shallow pocket 171 is sewn on the undershorts 122b for receiving the lower end portion of the pads 26b.
• the upper end portion of the pads 26b is secured to the undershorts 122b by engagement of a pair of vertically extending Velcro strips 173 and horizontally extending Velcro strip 175 sewn onto the undershorts 122b with complementary vertically extending Velcro strips 177 and horizontally extending Velcro strip 179 on the upper end of the pad 26b.
• the pad 26b is shown attached to the undershorts l-22b in FIG. 19.
• the same shallow pocket 171 for receiving the lower end portion of the pad 26c is provided on the undershorts 122c, and the same Velcro strip arrangement on the undershorts 122c and pads 26c, as that provided on the aforementioned embodiment of FIGs. 18 and 19.
• Additional securing of the pads 26c in place over the trochanteric hip region of the wearer is provided by securing flaps 181, which provide additional support of the upper ends of the protective pads 26c.
• Securing flaps 181 have one end 183 sewn to the undershorts 122c and an opposite free end 185.
• a Velcro strip 187 is sewn onto the inner surfaces 188 of both of the securing flaps 181 near their free ends 185, with complementary Velcro strips 189 sewn to the undershorts 122c at locations whereat they will engage the respective Velcro strips 187 of the flaps 181 when the flaps 181 are pulled over the upper portion of the pads 26c.
• a pad 26c having its lower end supportably received in the shallow pocket 171 and its flap 181 pulled over the upper end of the pad 26c to secure the upper end of the pad 26c is illustrated in side view in FIG. 21, and two pads 26c attached to the undergarment 26c are illustrated in front view in FIG. 22.
• FIGs. 16-22 provide the snugness of the hip pad against the hip region of the wearer illustrated in FIG. 23. This snugness of the hip pads against the wearer minimizes outward bulging at the hip region of the wearer.
• the improved aesthetics and comfort over long periods of use which the hip pads of the present invention provide makes the hip pads of the present invention more acceptable to use by elderly persons, so that they are more likely to comply with doctor's demands that they be worn.
• FIG. 24 An especially preferred embodiment of the protective pad is shown in FIG. 24.
• the protective pad 26 has a rigid outer surface or shell 200 (i.e., located away from the wearer's body when in use) bonded to an impact absorbing inner surface 202 as shown in FIG 24a.
• FIG. 24b shows the inner surface 202 (i.e., located adjacent to the hip of the wearer) of the protective pad.
• the outer edges 204 of the impact absorbing surface are tapered as shown in FIG. 24c so as to provide improved cosmetic appearance when worn. More preferably, both the outer edges 204 of the impact absorbing surface and the outer edges 206 of the rigid outer surface are tapered.
• the outer edges allows the protective pads to be easily “blend” in with the natural body contour and thus be less noticeable when worn.
• the tapers on the impact absorbing surface and the rigid outer surface form an essentially continuous, uniformly tapered line when viewed in cross-section from either side to side or top to bottom.
• the rigid outer surface 200 does not extend to cover the full area of the impact absorbing surface 202. This arrangement should prove more comfortable for the wearer since the edges of the rigid outer surface are effectively protected from the body by the impact absorbing surface.
• the top- to-bottom dimension of the impact absorbing surface 200 is about 7 inches and the top-to-bottom dimension of the rigid outer surface is about 5 to 5.5 inches, thus allowing about 0.75 to 1 inches non- overlap at the top and bottom (see FIG. 24a) .
• this taper and non-overlap of the two surfaces occur mainly at the top and bottom of the pad.
• the sides of the pad should have less taper (i.e., closer to forming a right angle between the body and the sides of the pad) ; moreover, there generally should be less non-overlapping of the two surface on the sides (i.e., overlapping, if any, preferably should be less than about 0.5 inches, and more preferably less than about 0.25 inches, on each side; see FIG. 24a).
• the tapering allows the pad to more easily blend with the natural body contours and, therefore, makes the pads less visible when worn under clothing.
• the tapered rigid outer surface is ABS plastic (about 0.1 to 0.12 inches thick) and the impact absorbing surface is Ensolite (especially preferred is ALC Ensolite foam from Uniroyal Co.) which is about 0.375 to 0.40 inches thick.
• the ABS rigid outer portion is about 4.25 by 5.25 inches and the Ensolite foam portion is about 4.75 by 7 inches (i.e., about 0.5 inches total non-overlap side- to-side and about 1.75 inches total non-overlap top- to-bottom) .
• the two portions are bonded together such that they are centered relative to one another as shown in FIG. 24a.
• the edges of both the rigid outer surface and the impact absorbing foam are tapered or beveled around the entire pad perimeter.
• FIG. 25 illustrates a garment adapted to accept the protective pads of this invention and which are especially designed for wearers who might tend to remove the pads during use.
• wearers include, but are not limited to, Alzheimer patients or patients suffering from other forms of dementia who may have a tendency to remove the pads to simply "play" with them or for no reason at all.
• the pockets for the protective pads are placed inside the garment rather than on the outside or external surface. Placement of the pockets inside the garment makes it more difficult more such patients to remove the protective pads during use. Thus, a patient suffering from dementia is more likely to have the protective pads in place in the event of a fall.
• the protective pads can easily be removed in the standard manner when the garment is not being worn (e.g., for washing) .
• FIG. 25a is a plan view of the outside leg of the garment having the pocket 24 in the interior of the garment.
• FIG. 25b is shows the interior of the same leg with pocket 24, Velcro fastener 210, and top pocket flap 214.
• the pocket 28 is located below the waist band 28 as described above.
• FIG. 25c shows a side view along line a-a' in Fig. 25b as well as a portion of the hip and thigh 212 of the wearer.
• the Velcro fastener consists of portions 210 and 208 (i.e., hooks and loops) which allows the top flap 214 to be closed and fastened to the bottom portion of pocket 24.
• both the access to the pocket 24 and the closure portions 210 and 208 are located inside the garment and are adjacent to the leg 212 during use, it is more difficult, and thus less likely, that the patient will remove the pad.
• the pockets placed inside the garment can be adapted to accept tapered (see FIG. 24) or non-tapered protective pads .

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Professional, Industrial, Or Sporting Protective Garments (AREA)
• Details Of Garments (AREA)
• Prostheses (AREA)
• Adornments (AREA)
• Materials For Medical Uses (AREA)
• Orthopedics, Nursing, And Contraception (AREA)
• Undergarments, Swaddling Clothes, Handkerchiefs Or Underwear Materials (AREA)

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• 1995
  • 1995-06-02 US US08/459,349 patent/US5636377A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1997
  • 1997-04-07 DE DE69732798T patent/DE69732798T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1997-04-07 AT AT97920188T patent/ATE290800T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1997-04-07 WO PCT/US1997/005737 patent/WO1998044817A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1997-04-07 EP EP97920188A patent/EP1006824B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1997-04-07 AU AU32357/97A patent/AU3235797A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1997-04-07 ES ES97920188T patent/ES2236804T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1997-04-07 CA CA002285995A patent/CA2285995A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (1)

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